Live data from Hacker News

He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

wired.com

11–20 of 56 posts

Re: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

#11
post #3

This is odd since most cars require stepping down on the brake pedal to start the car. Even my UTV (side-by-side) requires this. I can't even remember the last vehicle I owned that did not require this. If my foot starts sinking down it will be obvious my brakes are failing. Cutting just enough into the last part of the brake line that is flexible hydraulic line to burst after a few miles would require quite some ski…

My 2017 RAV4 doesn't. I think "most" is an exaggeration

Re: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

#12
post #3

This is odd since most cars require stepping down on the brake pedal to start the car. Even my UTV (side-by-side) requires this. I can't even remember the last vehicle I owned that did not require this. If my foot starts sinking down it will be obvious my brakes are failing. Cutting just enough into the last part of the brake line that is flexible hydraulic line to burst after a few miles would require quite some ski…

My car doesn't require stepping on the brake to start but this car does sound like a newer one with weird "features" like that. I think the following car modifications indicate maliciousness and competency in the sabotage that could explain lack of alerting the driver,

>Since then, Berulis has laid low. He filed a police report, included in the suit and viewed by WIRED, and had the car seen by a mechanic who, according to the report, found “that the driver-side front impact/airbag sensor had also been removed but noted that the remaining wires had been spliced together, completing the circuit in a manner that prevented the vehicle from detecting or logging the missing component, while also preventing the vehicle from activating its safety protocols, alerting the driver, or engaging limp mode.” The police report also indicates that fingerprints had been found on Berulis’ car.

Re: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

#13
post #2

https://archive.is/zY2Eb

That link it throwing me: "Scan this QR code with your mobile device to verify you are human. reCAPTCHA protects your privacy and does not share your details with this website or app." Is that a new recaptcha thing? I've never seen that before.

Yeah there's been some debate about it in the news, because only a certified device can approve it, meaning this takes away any open-source platform to prove you're a human

Re: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

#14
post #7
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and had the car seen by a mechanic who, according to the report, found “that the driver-side front impact/airbag sensor had also been removed but noted that the remaining wires had been spliced together, completing the circuit in a manner that prevented the vehicle from detecting or logging the missing component, while also preventing the vehicle from activating its safety protocols, alerting the driver, or engagin…

Are you just here to doubt the story? No, I am skeptical without pictures and videos. I've also replaced a lot of brakes. A picture is worth a thousand words.

> a threatening note had been taped to his door, including photos of him walking his dog that appeared to have been taken by a drone

Nothing suspicious here

Re: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

#15
post #9
post #3

This is odd since most cars require stepping down on the brake pedal to start the car. Even my UTV (side-by-side) requires this. I can't even remember the last vehicle I owned that did not require this. If my foot starts sinking down it will be obvious my brakes are failing. Cutting just enough into the last part of the brake line that is flexible hydraulic line to burst after a few miles would require quite some ski…

Many cars (especially ICE cars) may not have operational brake boost when you first get in to them — the vacuum that the power brakes rely on can easily be gone. So you step on the brakes without assist, then you start the engine, and then you have power brakes after a second or so. I can easily imagine that stepping on a brake pedal with cut lines and no assist doesn’t feel that weird. Also, plenty of people are not…

Many cars (especially ICE cars) may not have operational brake boost when you first get in to them

I warm up my engine, to the point of annoying armchair quarterbacks on HN. If my brake line was cut it would be very obvious within seconds. Exception would be a partial cut that leave a millimeter of line not cut but that would take some serious skill and practice.

Re: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

#16
post #2

https://archive.is/zY2Eb

That link it throwing me: "Scan this QR code with your mobile device to verify you are human. reCAPTCHA protects your privacy and does not share your details with this website or app." Is that a new recaptcha thing? I've never seen that before.

Yeah, it's Google's second attempt at device attestation (ie. the widely panned web integrity tech they're trying to push through)

Re: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

#17
post #15
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many cars (especially ICE cars) may not have operational brake boost when you first get in to them — the vacuum that the power brakes rely on can easily be gone. So you step on the brakes without assist, then you start the engine, and then you have power brakes after a second or so. I can easily imagine that stepping on a brake pedal with cut lines and no assist doesn’t feel that weird. Also, plenty of people are not…

Many cars (especially ICE cars) may not have operational brake boost when you first get in to them I warm up my engine, to the point of annoying armchair quarterbacks on HN. If my brake line was cut it would be very obvious within seconds. Exception would be a partial cut that leave a millimeter of line not cut but that would take some serious skill and practice.

Okay, good on you, but do you think every other person does this as well? I wasn't even aware warming up the engine would change my brakes until this thread. Honestly I thought the brake pedal was electronically connected to the actual brakes too so I didn't expect you could feel a cut line either.

Re: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

#18
post #9
post #3

This is odd since most cars require stepping down on the brake pedal to start the car. Even my UTV (side-by-side) requires this. I can't even remember the last vehicle I owned that did not require this. If my foot starts sinking down it will be obvious my brakes are failing. Cutting just enough into the last part of the brake line that is flexible hydraulic line to burst after a few miles would require quite some ski…

Many cars (especially ICE cars) may not have operational brake boost when you first get in to them — the vacuum that the power brakes rely on can easily be gone. So you step on the brakes without assist, then you start the engine, and then you have power brakes after a second or so. I can easily imagine that stepping on a brake pedal with cut lines and no assist doesn’t feel that weird. Also, plenty of people are not…

So what you're saying is, we need to abolish ICE and go electric?

Re: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

#19
post #15
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many cars (especially ICE cars) may not have operational brake boost when you first get in to them — the vacuum that the power brakes rely on can easily be gone. So you step on the brakes without assist, then you start the engine, and then you have power brakes after a second or so. I can easily imagine that stepping on a brake pedal with cut lines and no assist doesn’t feel that weird. Also, plenty of people are not…

Many cars (especially ICE cars) may not have operational brake boost when you first get in to them I warm up my engine, to the point of annoying armchair quarterbacks on HN. If my brake line was cut it would be very obvious within seconds. Exception would be a partial cut that leave a millimeter of line not cut but that would take some serious skill and practice.

Depending on the model it just requires activation of the brake light switch, which is a very light touch. And if it's an EV or PHEV with blended braking you're not pushing against the master cylinder anyway.

Re: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut

#20
post #10
post #3

This is odd since most cars require stepping down on the brake pedal to start the car. Even my UTV (side-by-side) requires this. I can't even remember the last vehicle I owned that did not require this. If my foot starts sinking down it will be obvious my brakes are failing. Cutting just enough into the last part of the brake line that is flexible hydraulic line to burst after a few miles would require quite some ski…

Removing the airbag impact sensor and then rewiring it to bypass the fault detection, without triggering the airbags, is also indicative of someone who has extensive experience in something no one should normally have experience in.

That's shitbox-101 level stuff (if you're in a dumb state where they'd rather you monkey with stuff to turn a dash light off than just rock the light).
Post reply on HN